February 2021 - 1

Krohne Plant Farms
nursery operation sold
Greenhouses trial new
lighting controllers by
Candidus
8
18
24
Direct sales still key
despite COVID-19
market changes
February 2021 | Volume 55 |
Issue 2
'Making an impact'
Niche peppers, packinghouse boost Ark Foods' ascent
From the left are Ark Foods founder Noah Robbins, his father, Ark Foods Chairman Peter Robbins and Chief Operations Officer Eduardo Mestre. Photos: Ark Foods
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
A packinghouse of one's own is a
milestone for a young produce company.
So, when in 2020, a vegetable
operation based in Brooklyn, New
York, bought a 12,000-square-foot
facility near the agricultural town of
Immokalee, Florida, it was a moment
worth celebrating.
Ark Foods - a startup produce
company finding new niches in
vegetables, especially the pepper
category - was founded by Noah
Robbins in 2013, and began farming in
Immokalee the following year. The area
feels like home for the young company -
a good place for its first owned facility.
After additions and improvements,
the packhouse was ready for work by
late fall 2020. The packinghouse is
processing specialty peppers, heirloom
cherry tomatoes, honeynut squash, and
other specialty vegetables. It also will
serve as a distribution hub.
" It was a significant investment for
us, but made sense because we believe
in the community and the future growth
of the company, " Robbins said. " Our
team worked diligently throughout the
summer and early fall on structural
repairs, state-of-the-art upgrades and
equipment installations to open a facility
we're truly proud of, and one that will
carry us into the next chapter of Ark
Foods. To have a growing operation in
Florida means more than it ever did.
" It means we're able to make more of
an impact on a community we've been
part of since our early days, " Robbins
continued. " Eventually, we'd love to
have staff working there year-round.
Logistically, we're able to load more
trucks more efficiently, and position
ourselves for strong, competitive output. "
An agricultural heritage
The son of citrus farmers, Robbins grew
up in Connecticut but would visit the farm
operations a couple of times per year.
" I learned a lot about the operational
side of farming at a very young age:
locking in contracts, sales, mitigating
the risk of your output, how to increase
the sugar content of citrus, " he said.
As a grower, Ark Foods prides itself on cutting out middlemen between the field and
market.
" I also learned a lot about costs, crew
management for acreage, how to
manage the weather. These things have
been drilled into me since childhood,
and really translate into how Ark Foods
operates, specifically with diversifying
our farming locations, our crops, and
our growing techniques. "
At Cornell University, he studied
art rather than agriculture, but
" it was important to continue the
generational line of farming in
the family, " and Robbins knew he
wanted to go back to agriculture.
His company's launch in 2013 was
centered on shishito peppers that, he
had discovered, were being flown in
from Japan to supply restaurants.
See PEPPERS, page 5

February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2021